Promotion of the transdermal delivery of protein drugs by N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles combined with polypropylene electret

Abstract

Ye Tu,1,2,* Xinxia Wang,3,* Ying Lu,2,* He Zhang,2 Yuan Yu,2 Yan Chen,2 Junjie Liu,2 Zhiguo Sun,2 Lili Cui,4 Jing Gao,2 Yanqiang Zhong2 1Department of Medical Affairs, East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 2Department of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 3Department of Pharmacy, East Hospital of Hepatobiliary Surgery, 4Department of Inorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: We recently reported that electret, which was prepared by a corona charging system with polypropylene film, could enhance the transdermal delivery of several drugs of low molecular weight. The aim of this study was to investigate whether electret could enhance the transdermal delivery of protein drugs by N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles (TMC NPs) prepared by an ionic gelation method. A series of experiments were performed, including in vitro skin permeation assays and anti-inflammatory effects, to evaluate the transdermal delivery of protein drugs by TMC NPs in the presence of electret. The results showed that in the presence of electret, the transdermal delivery of protein drugs in TMC NPs was significantly enhanced, as demonstrated by in vitro permeation studies and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Notably, superoxide dismutase-loaded TMC NPs combined with electret exhibited the best inhibitory effect on the edema of the mouse ear. TMC NPs combined with electret represent a novel platform for the transdermal delivery of protein drugs. Keywords: N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles, electret, transdermal delivery, protein drugs 

Keywords

• N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles
• Electret
• Transdermal delivery
• Protein drugs.